GAME FOUR | Saturday, Oct. 3 | 1:00 PM | Lincoln, Nebraska
No. 12/18 Wartburg at Nebraska Wesleyan
WATCH | LIVE STATS | LISTEN (KWAY - Matt Ray/Scott Suhr)

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
The No. 12/18-ranked Wartburg College football team (1-2 overall) begins American Rivers Conference play this weekend, as it travels to Lincoln, Neb., to take on the Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves for a 1 p.m., kickoff at Abel Stadium on Saturday, October 3. 

WARTBURG (1-2 OVERALL, 0-0 A-R-C)
LAST GAME L, 31-14 vs #4 UW-RIVER FALLS
STREAK L2
LAST SEASON 10-1, 8-0 A-R-C
'25 PLAYOFFS LOST IN 2ND ROUND
HEAD COACH CHRIS WINTER (6TH SEASON)
CAREER RECORD 54-10
RECORD AT WARTBURG 54-10

Fresh off a bye week, the Knights enter Saturday's conference matchup in Lincoln, Neb., following a hard-fought 31-14 setback against the defending national champions and now No. 2-ranked UW-River Falls Falcons during Week 3. Wartburg was within 10 points at the break (24-14), before the Falcons added a fourth-quarter score to claim the victory. Papesh completed 12 of 22 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Dylan Swanstrom paced the receiving corps with six catches for 76 yards. Swanstrom also contributed a 15-yard punt return. Defensively, Tyler Gayer led the Knights with a career-high 14 tackles, while Jake Walker added a season-best 10 tackles. Wartburg's defense held UW-River Falls scoreless throughout the third quarter and forced a fumble that Grant Gray recovered in the red zone.

NEBRASKA WESLEYAN (0-3 OVERALL, 0-0 A-R-C)
LAST GAME L, 49-41 at UNIV. Of CHICAGO
STREAK L3
LAST SEASON 1-9, 1-7 A-R-C
'25 PLAYOFFS N/A
HEAD COACH JACOB DONOHOE (1st SEASON)
CAREER RECORD 0-3
RECORD AT NWU 0-3

NWU trailed 42-6 late in the second quarter, before rattling off 28 second-half points to crawl back within a possession to the University of Chicago, 49-41. The Prairie Wolves finished with 530 yards of total offense, led by quarterback Levi Murphey's 498 yards through the air. 

SERIES HISTORY VS THE P-WOLVES
Wartburg boasts a perfect 9-0 all-time record against Nebraska-Wesleyan. The Knights last visited the Prairie Wolves in Lincoln last season and came away with a 34-10 victory. Wartburg averages just north of 45 points per game against NWU, and has tallies a 410-93 scoring differential in all nine contests. 

ABOUT THE P-WOLVES
NWU (0-3) has dropped each of their first three games of the 2026 season, despite a nail-biter on Sept. 19 when it visited the University of Chicago (L, 49-41). Despite its start, NWU leads the league in TFLs (6.7 per game), while wide receiver Jace Winkler hauls in 5.67 receptions per game to rank second in the A-R-C. The Prairie Wolves have dropped their last four home contests dating back to last season. 

AROUND THE A-R-C
DUBUQUE @ CENTRAL - 1 PM - PELLA, IA
LORAS @ COE - 1 PM - CEDAR RAPIDS, IA
SIMPSON @ BUENA VISTA - 1 PM - STORM LAKE, IA

HOBART'S HOUSE-CALL EARNS A-R-C WEEKLY HONORS
Freshman Drew Hobart was named A-R-C Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 21, as he made his collegiate debut returning three kickoffs for a total of 119 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown return against UW-River Falls. Hobart's return was the first kickoff return for the Knights since JoJo McNair did so on Oct. 9, 2021. 

RUD RUNS THROUGH TOP-RANKED CARDINALS
Senior running back Dawson Rud rushed for a season-high 112 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries against North Central, while also hauling in four receptions for 45 yards and a score - 157 all-purpose yards. The Mondovi, WI, native tallied his 10th career 100+ rushing yard performance against the Cardinals. Rud is averaging 80.33 yards per game on the ground this season, with a trio of scores. 

LINK LOCKING UP THE OPPOSITION
Senior linebacker Adam Link has picked off opposing quarterbacks three times this season, returning one for a pick-six against North Central in week two. Link holds three of Wartburg's four interceptions this season, that sit second in the A-R-C behind Loras' eight. 

PAPESH TOSSES CAREER-HIGH 265 IN WEEK ONE
Junior quarterback Josh Papesh (Valley View, OH/Saint Ignatius HS) completed 19 of his 24 pass attempts for a career-high 265 yards and two touchdowns during week one on the road at Monmouth. 

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
Wartburg dropped its second home contest of the season when UW-River Falls visited in Week 3, as the program hasn't done so since 2011. Wartburg hasn't started a season 1-2 since 1992. 

WINTER IN CONFERENCE-OPENERS
Head coach Chris Winter boasts a perfect 5-0 record in A-R-C openers. Wartburg's last conference-opening loss came during the 2012 season against Simpson (L, 20-19) in Indianola, Iowa. 

ALL-TIME WINNINGEST DIV. III HEAD COACHES (Min. 50 Games) – NCAA Statistics  
- Brad Spencer (2022-23 – pres.) – North Central (Ill.) 61-2 Overall (5th Season)**
- Vince Kehres (2013-14 – 2019-20) – Mount Union 95-6 Overall (7 Seasons)  
- Geoff Dartt (2022-23 – 2025-26) – Mount Union 68-7 Overall (6th Season)**  
- Larry Kehres (1986-87 – 2012-13) – Mount Union 332-24 Overall (27 Seasons)  
- Chris Winter (2021-22 – 2025-26) – Wartburg 54-10 Overall (5th Season)**  
** - Indicates Active Head Coach  

NCAA PLAYOFF HISTORY
The Knights have appeared in 18 NCAA Playoff games in program history with an 18-17 overall record. Wartburg has never made it to the Stagg Bowl in Canton, OH. 

MCDONALD COLLECTS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Wartburg senior defensive lineman Conner McDonald was named a First-Team Preseason All-American by D3football.com. McDonald (Congerville, Ill./Eureka) enters the 2026 season following a standout junior season in which he earned D3football.com First-Team All-American, All-Region and All-Conference honors. He led the Knights' defensive line with 13.0 tackles for loss, including a team-high seven sacks. McDonald becomes the 16th Knight in program history to earn D3football.com Preseason All-American recognition.

32 STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS 
Wartburg secured its 32nd all-time winning season last season. Over the last nine years, the program holds a record of 95–21. The Knights' consistency ranks among the top programs across all NCAA divisions.

LOOKING AT THIS YEARS ROSTER
The 2026 Wartburg football roster features 62 sophomores, 44 incoming freshmen, 37 juniors, 33 seniors and one 5th year. 

Longest Active Winning Season Streaks — All Divisions 
Linfield (Ore.) – 68 seasons 
Mount Union – 46 seasons 
Wartburg – 32 seasons 
Northwest Missouri State (DII) – 30 seasons

THROUGH THE FIRST THREE GAMES THIS SEASON
Wartburg averages 23.33 points per game, while allowing 26.0 to the opposition. Led by quarterback Josh Papesh, the Knights average 185.67 yards through the air, and 90.7 on the ground. The Wartburg defense has allowed 332.7 total yards per game, to rank No. 2 in the league. Linebacker Tyler Gayer leads the Knights with 29.0 tackles on the season, followed by defensive lineman Jake Walker's 24.0

A-R-C DOMINANCE 
Last season, Wartburg became the first program since Central (1964–67) to win four consecutive A-R-C championships. The Knights have won 34-consecutive conference games. 

WEEK-BY-WEEK RANKING - AFCA
Preseason - No. 9
Week 1 - No. 10
Week 2 - No. 10
Week 3 - No. 18
Week 4 - No. 18

WEEK-BY-WEEK RANKING - D3football.com
Preseason - No. 9
Week 1 - No. 9
Week 2 - No. 6
Week 3 - No. 11
Week 4 - No. 12

CONSECUTIVE WEEKS RANKED
D3football.com - 41 weeks
AFCA - 38 weeks

Dating back to last season and into 2026, Wartburg's last four contests consisted of Wheaton (NCAA Playoffs), Monmouth, North Central, and UW-River Falls. The latest release of the national polls: North Central (No. 1), UW-River Falls (No. 2), and Wheaton (No. 3). The Knights have the ninth-toughest strength of schedule in 2026. 

CURRENT A-R-C STANDINGS
Loras: 2-1 overall, 0-0 A-R-C
Central: 2-1 overall, 0-0 A-R-C
Dubuque: 1-2 overall, 0-0 A-R-C
Coe: 1-2 overall, 0-0 A-R-C
Wartburg: 1-2 overall, 0-0 A-R-C
Simpson: 1-2 overall, 0-0 A-R-C
Buena Vista: 1-2 overall, 0-0 A-R-C
Neb. Wesleyan: 0-3 overall, 0-0 A-R-C

NATIONAL RANKINGS - D3football.com/AFCA
D3Football.com Week Top 25

1. North Central (Ill.) (20)
2. UW-River Falls (5)
3. Wheaton (Ill.) 
4. UW-Platteville
5. St. John's
6. UW-Whitewater
7. Bethel
8. John Carroll
9. Hardin-Simmons
10. Trinity (Texas)
11. Endicott
12. Wartburg
13. Salisbury
14. Christopher Newport
15. Hope
16. Berry
17. Cortland
18. Washington U.
19. UW-La Crosse
20. Mary Hardin-Baylor
21. Heidelberg
22. Utica
23. Susquehanna
24. Mount Union
25. Randolph-Macon

Others receiving votes: Franklin & Marshall 53; Wabash 24;       Linfield 23; Baldwin Wallace 17; Wesleyan 13; Chapman 12; DePauw 9; Johns Hopkins 8; Dickinson 6; Eastern 5; Grove City 4; Lake Forest 4; Calvin 3; Ithaca 2; Rowan 2; Washington & Jefferson 2; Springfield 1; Trinity (Conn.) 1.

AFCA DIVISION III COACHES' POLL
1. North Central (44)
2. UW-River Falls (9)
3. Wheaton
4. UW-Platteville
5. St. John's (Minn.)
6. John Carroll
7. UW-Whitewater
8. Bethel (Minn.)
9. Trinity (Tex.)
10. Hardin-Simmons
11. Berry
12. Salisbury
13. Christopher Newport
14. Hope
15. Endicott
16. Cortland
17. WashU
18. Wartburg
19. UW-La Crosse
20. Mary Hardin-Baylor
21. Utica
22. Susquehanna
23. DePauw
24. Heidelberg
25. Franklin & Marshall

Others Receiving Votes: Mount Union, 88; Wabash, 79;        Randolph-Macon, 60; Calvin, 50; Springfield, 22; Lake Forest, 21; Mount St. Joseph, 20; Baldwin-Wallace, 19; Chapman, 18; UW-Oshkosh, 17; Illinois Wesleyan, 14; Johns Hopkins, 12; Muhlenberg, 8; Hampden-Sydney, 7; Ursinus, 6; Marietta, 5; Concordia-Moorhead, 4; Linfield, 3; UW-Stout, 3; Wesleyan, 3; Augustana (Ill.), 2; Dickinson, 2; Washington & Jefferson, 2; Trinity (Conn.), 1.

A-R-C PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1. Wartburg College - 49 (7)
2. Coe College - 42
3. Central College - 38
4. University of Dubuque - 29
5. Simpson College - 27
6. Loras College - 20
7. Nebraska Wesleyan University - 10
8. Buena Vista University - 9